When recession marketing budgets are limited, sales tools must multitask. Infographics, which combine text and illustration, streamline complex products, processes and value propositions to make information more captivating and useful. They also have a high utility to work across a variety of formats from print to interactive.

"Infographics are the hardest working, most cost-effective marketing tool because they can be used everywhere," says Lin Wilson of Funnel Incorporated (http://www.funnelinc.com), an information design firm specializing in infographics, icons, maps, charts and instructions. "In these times, clients appreciate the versatility of this work and the added value of a graphic that can be used in so many different applications. Why create twelve different versions of your story when one infographic can do it all?"

Here's five ways infographics stretch recession marketing budgets:

Eliminate brochures — Would you rather read a text-heavy brochure riddled with generic royalty-free photos or a customized one-page infographic? Trim printing and paper costs to make your brand’s core messages the hero.

Attention-grabbing exhibits — Infographics and icons excel at transcending reality to demonstrate a product, service or process in an engaging way so why haul machinery to a tradeshow when an infographic better articulates features and benefits? When incorporated into an exhibit these visualizations pull attendees in, respect their time and deliver a succinct, consistent sales pitch to make staff more productive and persuasive.

Amplify PowerPoint — Virtual meetings bolster lean travel budgets. The commission of a common visual language (CVL), which includes customized icons, symbols and visual metaphors unique to a company’s brand, service or process, can more accurately reflect an organization’s mission and personality than clip art, bullets and amateurish templates. One infographic replaces numerous slides while providing a more informative, memorable leave behind.

Optimize customer service — Making information more accessible and user-friendly enhances a brand experience and improves understanding. Anticipate frustrations with better instructions, packaging and visual FAQs to reduce customer service calls and complaints.

Cultivate consensus — Creating a blueprint of potential scenarios, sequential actions and procedures condenses pages of text into one portable visual that can easily be e-mailed, laminated or tacked to a wall. Visual instructions leave nothing to interpretation making staff and strategic partners more efficient and confident in the execution of campaigns, projects and tasks.